Turkish Airlines has been selected by Skytrax as providing the best economy class food services in the world and as Europe's Fastest Growing Airline. According to 2010 data, Turkish Airlines is Europe's 3rd best and Southern Europe's best airline.

Turkish Airlines is now the fourth largest flagship airline in Europe after Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways, the Association of European Airlines has revealed. With a 17.9% growth in passenger numbers in the first 3 quarters of 2010, taking its total to 21.9 million for the period, the airline looks set to overtake British Airways to take third place, according to Anna.Aero airline route news. Also, it maintains the youngest fleet in Europe.

They massively expanded within the last decade and are playing to be the largest airline in the world.

Nice deal, but very limited scope, does work online, however, not on every day (usual stipulations of availability), did see it on a sat to sat booking I was considering. I will note that not only is the fare non-refundable, but if for some reason, you are stranded in either location, you will not be rebooked on another airline.

alexismeyers

Member

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 1:10p

Are there any other dates?

mmarcuse

Shopaholic Member

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 1:20p

Istanbul is the most amazing place I've ever traveled, and I've been all over. This is a great deal, it's usually at least $800-$1000 from the US!

trainaholic

Senior Member - 2K

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 2:31p

We spent the honeymoon there, one of my favorite places in the world

UPRRSLO

Senior Member

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 2:42p

Syran said: Nice deal, but very limited scope, does work online, however, not on every day (usual stipulations of availability), did see it on a sat to sat booking I was considering. I will note that not only is the fare non-refundable, but if for some reason, you are stranded in either location, you will not be rebooked on another airline.Wow, I almost started looking for dates until I read the TOS. I'd hate to get stranded in Turkey and have to pay more to get back home. Thanks for the post tho OP!

UPRRSLO said: Syran said: Nice deal, but very limited scope, does work online, however, not on every day (usual stipulations of availability), did see it on a sat to sat booking I was considering. I will note that not only is the fare non-refundable, but if for some reason, you are stranded in either location, you will not be rebooked on another airline.Wow, I almost started looking for dates until I read the TOS. I'd hate to get stranded in Turkey and have to pay more to get back home. Thanks for the post tho OP!

ECONOMY PROMOTIONAL Rebooking/Rerouting is usually not permitted and non-refundable. I may have misread this a little when warning people, but normally, the "rerouting" clause is the one to truly worry about. Their terminology for "rebooking" seems to be that you cannot change the flights (even for a change fee). Rerouting many times means they will put you on other flights (either theirs or others) to get you to your destination; with this, they will hold you up until they have an available seat for you on the next available flight they have for that exact route, normally with you having to make your own arrangements due to the delay.

kiteguru

Senior Member

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 2:58p

I really love Istanbul.It is colorful. If you can make it 3 weeks vacation you can def. go to to Ephesus and Pamukkale.

WARNINGYou can get Tax refund (18off118) on purchases..But you need a valid invoice.Invoices are not just print outs. They are printed or handwritten on special #red papers.

Istanbul is a big town..Be careful with your belongings.It is not bad as Rome or NYC but be careful..

TechGate said: It will be a nice vacation along the Mediterranean, however i'll skip this time. thanks OP.

I agree that Istanbul is a nice place to visit, but it is not really along the Mediterranean Sea. It is along the Sea of Marmara.The Sea of Marmara is very narrowly connected to the Aegean Sea, which is an extension of the Mediterranean. But yes, it's a nice place to visit.

Truth be told, this deal is good but not great. It's an off season price, between November and March, that's why the price is so low. If you are able to travel in such months as November, February, and March, you usually can get a big discount to mostplaces. I've seen round trip deals between NYC and Paris, or NYC and Rome, for about $550 or so. In the off season, of course.

a-max

Senior Member - 2K

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 3:10p

TheThinker said: Truth be told, this deal is good but not great. It's an off season price, between November and March, that's why the price is so low. If you are able to travel in such months as November, February, and March, you usually can get a big discount to mostplaces. I've seen round trip deals between NYC and Paris, or NYC and Rome, for about $550 or so. In the off season, of course.Exactly. And the topic title is totally misleading, since it says "until" rather than clarifying that the deal is for times that are the worst to visit Turkey.

I know some people still think "Nude in a Muslim country?" Let me tell you; Istanbul and other big cities such as Izmir, Ankara, etc. (especially Istanbul) are crazier than New York, London, etc. You cannot believe your eyes when you see women practically wearing nothing even in the daytime! Istanbul is a VERY mixed city. One part of the city, you will see Muslims wearing their Ninja clothes, in the other part you will see women wearing their birthday suits

magnanimal

Member

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 3:37p

Istanbul is an amazing city. I got this deal about 4 years ago, and it was great. I was traveling to India and took a 3 day layover in Istanbul, but had a connecting flight through London. This deal is obviously better because it's a direct flight. Definitely a city worth traveling to. I'd caution that the travel dates here are not the greatest. Istanbul will be cold, and may even be snowing, although temperatures rarely get to freezing. Visa is no problem for US citizens, I believe they just stamp it for 20 Euro at the airport.

CELO

Senior Member - 1K

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 3:54p

magnanimal said: Visa is no problem for US citizens, I believe they just stamp it for 20 Euro at the airport.

Yep. With that visa you get to stay 90 days.

weblogger

Senior Member

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 4:08p

its almost worth going to Chicago to go out, rather than your home airport.lol.any FW member going to try that? now THAT would be the FW action of the year.

oko

Member

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 4:37p

Turkish airlines rebooked me on other airlines in the past when there were connection issues. This happened multiple times, and once for my family also. I even earned mileage on the other airline (I think it was Delta) when this happened, though Delta was not the ticketing carrier. Turkish airlines is in the star alliance now, I guess rebook should be even easier now.

cattlet

Senior Member - 1K

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 7:54p

tempting. need 2 weeks.

mesuth

Senior Member

posted: May. 13, 2011 @ 8:06p

If you would visit Istanbul once in your lifetime, I would rather it is during summer time. Istanbul lives all four seasons to the fullest, and when you are visiting in November it will be most likely gray, cold, rainy (if not snowy), sunset at 4pm; as opposed to a June vacation when it is warm and bright, sun sets at 9pm and night life goes until the morning, all tourist destinations are lively and ready for the season. If you are going to Istanbul anyway, this is a good deal. But if this will be your only chance visiting Istanbul in your lifetime, please save a little more and dont get disappointed later.

Our family went to Istanbul in March for a week. Well worth it. The weather was not great (it even snow one day). The best time to go (according to our guide) is May if you like 70's and 80's. Expect very hot days in July and August. It's a very modern city of about 10 million. Turks there are more European than the Turks you will find in Netherlands for example. We hired a guide the first full day and he said that within Istanbul about 10% are very religious while that number climbs to 90% in the country side. Many amazing Mosques( Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Blue Mosque), palaces (Topkapi, Dolmabahçe, etc)- mostly found in old town. But there are thousands of mosques in the city so bring your ear plugs if you want to sleep past 5:00 am, when the first call to pray sounds. If you venture out to the suburbs in the Asian side, it's is a very modern city.

Excellent public and very clean transport. Cheap taxis back and forth to the airport (which by the way is also very nice, and modern).

The people were very friendly when approached with a question. It's clear that most of the local appreciate tourists.

As US citizens there is a tourist visa you must purchase after you land at the international airport. We flew on Turkish Airlines from Dusseldorf on Economy on a Airbus 320 built late 2010 ( Call me crazy but I like to read the year the plane was manufactured/you find the little plaque on the side of the door as you enter the plane). On each segment there was hot food (similar to that you get in transatlantic flights). The plane back to Germany had a video system and they showed a movie. One of the best flights, that I have taken within Europe, and I have flown about everyone.

I traveled there in 2010, and found it fascinating. This would be a really inexpensive way to return and explore Istanbul. Turkish Airlines is a sophisticated airline, and I find it hard/impossible to believe they'd leave you stranded if a flight was cancelled. However, if you missed the flight due to your own planning or an unexpected travel hitch, you might indeed be out of luck. Not sure if travel insurance would help, either. FYI, there is an inexpensive light rail connection from the main international Ataturk airport to downtown Istanbul. Be aware, though, that Istanbul is HUGE, and has a European and Asian side that is split by the Bosphorus. Travel complexities arise (read: delays and costs) if your in-country flights require you to transfer to the other Istanbul airport, known as Sabiha Gökçen. There's about an hour (or more in rush hour) transit time and a $40-80 cab or shuttle cost to make the transit each way! Sort of like arriving in Newark, NJ and having to transfer on your own to a flight in Philadelphia without any rail service. There are both buses and shuttles, but both take time to figure out, and both have limitations. My experience: if you're depending on getting back from Sabiha Gökçen to Ataturk on a tight timeline, consider an overnight layover in an inexpensive old-city hotel in Istanbul before your Ataturk departure. Then, you should have time to make your way back to the European side of Istanbul from Sabiha Gökçen via inexpensive bus (or stay in one of the newer-city hotels and sightsee there) If you stay in the old city overnight, take a nice stroll to the Blue Mosque, park, etc, buy a discounted shuttle ticket from a vendor in the mosque park for an early AM pickup at your hotel (the vendors are 25-50% less than your hotel charges for the same ticket), and then enjoy a relaxing dinner. Arrive at Ataturk EARLY for your departure! You'll be shocked at the volume of travelers at 5 AM, and the confusion of finding your check-in counter and making your way through customs may take longer than you expect. If this is indeed a non-refundable, non-rebookable fare, you DON'T want to be late! On the balance of things, to lower stress, why not just base your trip in Istanbul at an inexpensive hotel and avoid Sabiha Gökçen?

FWIW, Expedia(and others) are offering highly discounted vacation pkgs w/hotels at substantial discounts during some of these same periods. Might be worth buying a package and paying for the travel insurance "just in case?" Health care is pretty decent in Turkey, but your US insurance probably won't pay for any care you need, so the travel insurance might be well worth it in this case, considering the discount. My experience about hotels is that they vary widely. Do plenty of research w/Tripadvisor and other sites, and carefully look at the maps and the location of bus/rail lines before choosing. You don't want to lug your bags 10 blocks in traffic, so a cab from the rail stop to your hotel might be saner. The old city in Istanbul is known as Sultanahmet, which will help your map and hotel research. Again, Istanbul is HUGE, so do NOT underestimate distances. It is very walkable (within reason). It also can be confusing, especially after dark, until you're gotten your bearings. Good bus and trolley services make life more manageable, so USE THEM! FYI, to, the rail stations usually have tourist offices, and, with coaxing, they have beautiful 300-page tour guides for free to go with their maps.

AnAceBuyer said: ... Health care is pretty decent in Turkey, but your US insurance probably won't pay for any care you need, so the travel insurance might be well worth it in this case, considering the discount. ...

In 2007, Blue Cross Blue Shield covered all our expenses in one of the best hospitals in Istanbul at in-network level. No complaints!

intleu

Ancient Member

posted: May. 14, 2011 @ 3:21p

polishdreamer said:

A family vacation, got it.

Turkey has always been under heavy influence of Europe, thus Turks are less conservative than Americans in many aspects. You can go topless on most Turkish public beaches while you would get arrested if you did it here in the US. If you will be uncomfortable about certain things about vacationing in Europe, it also applies to Turkey to a degree.

Family vacationing in Turkey is great because Turks adore children, they go out of their way to keep them happy at all times, it's part of their culture. It might get annoying at times that people will talk to your kids and show affection as if it's a pet, especially if you have the usual American paranoia assuming that every stranger that shows interest is a pervert. That is why reading about the local culture before heading to a country is a great idea, it will avoid many misunderstandings and assumptions.

searsjen

New Member

posted: May. 14, 2011 @ 4:24p

Definitely worth considering a vacation to go!

Eddie3dfx

Member

posted: May. 14, 2011 @ 4:44p

ah love turkey.Istanbul is really cool.. the south is gorgeous, antalya, bodrum, marmaris.turks are super nice and very friendly..

kiteguru

Senior Member

posted: May. 14, 2011 @ 10:04p

intleu said: polishdreamer said:

A family vacation, got it.

Turkey has always been under heavy influence of Europe, thus Turks are less conservative than Americans in many aspects. You can go topless on most Turkish public beaches while you would get arrested if you did it here in the US. If you will be uncomfortable about certain things about vacationing in Europe, it also applies to Turkey to a degree.

Family vacationing in Turkey is great because Turks adore children, they go out of their way to keep them happy at all times, it's part of their culture. It might get annoying at times that people will talk to your kids and show affection as if it's a pet, especially if you have the usual American paranoia assuming that every stranger that shows interest is a pervert. That is why reading about the local culture before heading to a country is a great idea, it will avoid many misunderstandings and assumptions.

I agree..Do not freak out if ur kid gets too much attention. Turks show their feelings by actions..Not via cards bought at WalMart

I also need to make a confession. I received this deal via e-mail and thought about posting on here but after thought fatwallet ? Istanbul? I changed my mind..

I am glad you guys proved that I was wrong..It is also nice seeing no posts related to Camels

LadyLovesShopping

New Member

posted: May. 16, 2011 @ 10:15a

I wish I had enough vacation time to go to Instanbul - what a shame!

kelvinpl80

New Member

posted: May. 17, 2011 @ 12:10a

Istanbul is amazing place to visit.Architecture,historical buildings and Museums are the famous attractions for tourist here.

duhmel

Senior Member - 1K

posted: May. 17, 2011 @ 2:40a

It's one of their new magic carpet aircraft - fully air conditioned.

defjukie

Senior Member - 3K

posted: May. 17, 2011 @ 6:18a

trainaholic said: We spent the honeymoon there, one of my favorite places in the world

So did we. And agreed, so much to see and do there. The rest of Turkey is pretty awesome too.

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